


but there's nothing to be afraid of

by beeetle



Series: Preludes [12]
Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, this is just pure fluff, this is the sweetest thing I've ever written
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-17
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:54:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25324237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beeetle/pseuds/beeetle
Summary: night changes - One Direction, glimbow, soulmate AU"even when the night changes, it'll never change me and you"Bow and Glimmer's fates have been intertwined long before they knew it, but it takes them 83 days to figure it out.
Relationships: Bow/Glimmer (She-Ra)
Series: Preludes [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1767265
Comments: 7
Kudos: 53





	but there's nothing to be afraid of

Soulmates have a way of taking everything you know and flipping it on its head. Regardless of if you knew your soulmate before, or if you met them after, the day you find that symbol of theirs on your body is one that changes your life. So with Bow’s 18th birthday approaching, he was understandably nervous. Even if he had decided not to look.

“I can’t believe you don’t want to find out who your soulmate is!” Glimmer exclaimed. The pair were laying head to head, staring at the grand ceiling of Glimmer’s room in Bright Moon, enjoying the cool breeze of the September night. It was only hours away from Bow’s 18th birthday, and Bow had just dropped  _ that _ bombshell on Glimmer.

“It’s not that I don’t wanna know!” Bow defended, weakly throwing his arms up. “I just wanna wait until your birthday so we can find out together.”

“Bow, my birthday isn’t until December. That’s months away!”

“It’s only 83 days away! Besides, it wouldn’t feel right, y’know?” Bow sat up, stretching out his torso from the day’s archery practice.

“What are you talking about?” Glimmer stayed on her back, turning her head to look at him as best she could. “Are you...afraid?”

Bow paused.

  
  


Finding your soulmate was a big deal. For the weeks leading up to his birthday, his dads and all twelve of his siblings had told him the stories of discovering their marks. 

  
How the mark had burned until they looked or touched the mark for the first time.

How it had left them with nothing but confusion for months, then the relief of everything falling into place when they had met each other. 

  
How being soulmates didn’t mean that their relationship was without problems, but they wore their marks with pride and let it serve as a reminder that their fates had been intertwined, regardless of the troubles that lay ahead. 

How when you met your soulmate, there was no one you could love more.

He shook his head.

  
  


“Honestly, no. Like, yeah it’s a big thing, and I’m really excited,” he started. “But, I don’t want the mystery of who my soulmate is to define my life for the next few months, and ignore you while I’m off searching for them, even if it’s by accident! It’s only a few extra months, and we’ve always done everything together, why not this? And-” 

“Bow.”

He hadn’t realised that Glimmer was sitting up with him now, a hand resting on his shoulder and pale purple eyes looking into his.

“You don’t have to explain why,” she started, giving him a warm smile. “It’s your choice, and I’ll support you no matter what you decide to do.”

Bow smiled fondly at her, resting one hand on top of hers and giving it a light squeeze.

“So, you don’t think I’m crazy for wanting to wait?”

“Of course I do.” 

As a wide grin made its home on Glimmer’s lips, Bow gave her a playful shove, chuckling.

“Yeah, well crazy follows crazy!” he retorted, laughing as Glimmer weakly pushed him back. The two dissolved into a fit of giggles, reminiscing on their exploits (mostly taking place while Glimmer was grounded) and arguing over whose idea it was. Bow’s soulmate left his head for a while.

When midnight came, Glimmer covered her eyes while Bow scanned his body for the burning sensation. He had found it on the inside of his left wrist. Underneath the forearm guard he had forgotten to take off after practice.

“That’s lucky,” he mumbled to himself, pressing his hand over the mark and feeling the burn subside.

“What is? Can I open my eyes now?” Glimmer questioned, and Bow could practically feel her impatience.

“Yeah, you can. The mark’s under my arm guard,” he chuckled, holding it up sheepishly as Glimmer uncovered her eyes. Her eyebrows furrowed for a moment before her face relaxed and she smiled.

“It’s almost like they knew you didn’t want to find them yet,” she mused with a smile, and Bow couldn’t help but return it. They snuck down to the kitchens like they were children again, and ate the cake made for the party tomorrow right off the platter. They had icing all over their hands and cheeks, and had almost gotten caught by Queen Angella, but none of it mattered. It was the best birthday cake that Bow had ever eaten.

\---

Exactly 82 days had passed, with both Bow and Glimmer both sneaking glances at the clocks on the walls. The only sign that Bow let slip through was his thumb stroking his wrist over the arm guard, a soft smile on his lips. Glimmer was a lot less subtle.

It was noon, and Glimmer still hadn’t left her room. She had always been a late riser, ever since they were kids, but Bow knew that this was excessive, even for her. Glimmer had missed breakfast, and was about to miss lunch too. Something was up.

Bow rapped on her door three times, before opening the door anyway and peeking his head inside.

“Glimmer?” he called, seeing a heap up on her bed. “Glimmer, what’s going on? You’ve been holed up in here all day!”

“‘M fine!” she called back, voice muffled.

“Well, if you’re fine, why haven’t you come outside?”

A pause. “I’m recharging.”

Bow sighed, resisting every urge to face palm, instead walking further into the room.

“Cut the crap, Glimmer. I know you too well for you to fool me,” he started. “If you’re not feeling okay, that’s okay! Just- You know that you can talk to me if you want. About  _ anything _ . You’re my best friend. I’m never not gonna be here for you.”

“Promise?”

Glimmer had peeked her eyes over the raised bed, looking down at Bow. He let out a breath he didn’t realise he was holding, giving her a soft smile.

“I promise. Do you wanna go sit somewhere and we can talk about what’s bothering you?”

Glimmer nodded, teleporting down to stand in front of him. A split second passed, before she had wrapped her arms around his waist in a fierce embrace. Chuckling, he circled his arms around her, resting his chin on top of her head and holding her close.

  
  
  


“I’m so scared, Bow,” she mumbled into his chest.

“About finding your soulmate?” he asked gently, feeling her nod slightly. “What’s scaring you about it?”

She pulled away a fraction, staring at the heart on his armour, silent for a few more moments.

“What if we lose each other?”

Bow frowned, watching Glimmer’s face intently.

“I mean, what if they don’t like you? Or yours don’t like me? Or even if they do like each other, what if we drift apart and we’re not as close as we are now? I don’t wanna ever be any less than what we are now, and the idea of that being a possibility terrifies me and-”

“Glimmer.”

  
  


She finally looked up, seeing a soft smile on Bow’s lips.

“Nothing is going to drive us apart.” 

Bow sounded so sure, so confident. It sounded like he would fight the Fates to keep their strings intertwined. Glimmer, even after one sentence, felt a little lighter.

“I know that a lot is changing right now,” Bow started. “We’re starting to get the Rebellion up and running again, you’re getting a little better with your powers everyday, and we’re gonna know who our soulmates are soon! But even with everything changing, I know that nothing is going to change me and you.”

Glimmer beamed up at him, her eyes glassy but all her anxiety leaving her chest.

“Thanks Bow,” she mumbled, smiling warmly at him.

“Besides, I doubt that I won’t like your soulmate! Whoever they are, they’re going to be very lucky.” Bow brough Glimmer back into a tight embrace, the pair holding each other close. Neither of them knew how long they stayed like that, but neither of them complained. Eventually, Bow managed to drag Glimmer out to get some food while they figured how they’d answer Queen Angella’s numerous questions

\---

There was only a few minutes left. Bow and Glimmer were in the kitchens, eagerly waiting for the cake in the oven to be done, and glancing at the clock ticking down the time. Glimmer let out a shaky exhale, one of her trembling hands being taken by a steady, warm one.

“Breathe,” Bow told her, watching Glimmer closely and taking a deep breath, prompting Glimmer to breathe with him. She rolled her eyes playfully, but followed his breaths squeezing his hand slightly and smiling when she felt a squeeze in return.

“You’re more nervous than I was,” he teased, receiving a light shove in response.

“Shut up!” Glimmer defended, but her bright smile gave her away. “Whoever my soulmate is will have to be King or Queen with me one day! They better be up for the job.”

“I doubt Fate would land you with a soulmate that was horrible with politics,” Bow countered. “I mean, if they did it would be kind of cruel, but knowing you, you’ll pull them into line.”

“I’m glad someone in this Kingdom has faith in me,” Glimmer chuckled, seeing Bow give her the widest grin that he could muster.

_ Ding! Ding! Ding! _

Midnight.

“Happy birthday!” Bow whisper shouted, singing the song quietly as Glimmer laughed softly. Almost immediately, she felt the burning on the inside of her right wrist, underneath her glove. Smiling, she pressed her free hand over it, letting the feeling subside as her heart began to race. Looking to Bow, he had his free hand over his arm guard.

“You ready?” Glimmer asked, hand gripping her glove.

“On 3. Your count,” he replied.

“1. 2. 3.”

Glimmer could see Bow removing his arm guard from the corner of her eye, but after removing her glove, her heart stopped.

There, on the inside of her right wrist, was a small red heart, outlined in gold, both strange and familiar.

It couldn’t be. Could it?

  
  


“Glimmer?”

Looking up, Glimmer saw Bow intently staring at his left wrist. Even with the design upside down from where she stood, she could make out a small pair of rounded, pink wings. A gasp left her lips without permission.

Slowly, she moved to stand on Bow’s left, bringing up her wrist up next to his. 

“It’s you,” he breathed, and Glimmer let out a small laugh, feeling her eyes water.

“It’s me,” she replied, standing in front of him and beaming up at him. Looking away from their wrists, Bow gave Glimmer the sweetest smile she had ever seen. He gently took hold of her right hand, bringing her knuckles up to his lips and kissing them softly. Turning her hand over, he placed a kiss to his symbol on her wrist, GLimmer’s hand cradling his cheek.

  
  


“Well, now you know you’re not saddled with someone terrible at politics,” he teased, and Glimmer laughed, throwing her arms around his neck. He caught her with ease, arms holding her waist as the pair spun, their laughs echoing through the kitchen.

  
  


“Bow, stop! I’m getting dizzy!” Glimmer cried, but there wasn’t even a hint of distress in her voice. There was nothing but joy. Obeying her wishes, Bow moved to a stand still, still holding Glimmer in the air as their foreheads pressed together.

“I told you that nothing was going to drive us apart,” he murmured, savouring the feeling of knowing. Glimmer was his soulmate. Bow was her soulmate. They got to spend the rest of their lives together, and every life after that.

“Bow?” he heard Glimmer ask softly.

“Yeah?”

“Can I kiss you?”

Bow grinned at her, pulling her a little closer.

“Yeah,” he breathed, feeling their faces grow closer and closer, before their lips connected.

It was soft, and clumsy, and sweet, and everything the pair had dreamed for it to be. Glimmer’s hands cupped his cheeks as Bow’s arms kept her close and steady, the two only parting when their heads bonked together.

“Oops!” Glimmer mumbled. “Are you okay, Bow?” 

Bow chuckled at the strangeness of it all, but his smile never faded.

“I’ve never been better,” he told her, with nothing but honesty. As Glimmer opened her mouth to respond, the oven beeping interrupted her. 

The pair laughed, Bow setting Glimmer down before they ransacked the kitchens for the ingredients to make the icing for the cake, hand in hand and smiles never faltering. They had a lot to talk about, and a lot of people to tell, but that could. Bow and Glimmer had the rest of their lives for that. They kept the marks on show for the rest of the night, playfully teasing one another in the way they always did, and smearing various colours of icing on each other’s faces.

Turns out, birthday cake tastes so much sweeter when you share it with your soulmate.

**Author's Note:**

> hope you enjoyed this! please leave kudos and drop a comment with what you enjoyed, and feel free to message me on my tumblr if you would like to request a fic. thanks for reading!
> 
> https://beeeeetle.tumblr.com/


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